Black Bears Explore Safari Park in a ‘Swan Boat’ Like a Bunch of Tourists
No matter where we live, many of us have been seeing huge amounts of rain and snow as spring makes its way into the new year. Woburn Safari Park in England has seen so much rain recently that a lake actually formed in their black bear enclosure. What they did next will make your day!
Instead of trying to keep the bears out of the water, they encouraged them to get into it by placing a swan shaped boat along the shore. ABC News shared a clip on Monday, March 25th of the curious bears checking it out, and they all end up in it!
ABC News says in the caption that the "Intrigued bears wasted no time clambering aboard their new neighbor to investigate, much to the delight of park visitors." How fun would it be to watch these guys hitch a ride on the swan boat! They seemed to have enjoyed the entertainment, and it sounds like visitors did too! I couldn't agree more with the commenter that suggested, "That should be a permanent feature." and I laughed at @King of the Clowns who said, "I want to hug all of them and pray I don’t get my face ripped off in the process."
Related: Black Bear Delights Zoo Visitors While Cooling Off in a Bubble Bath
Black Bear Facts
Black bears are strong swimmers, and not only swim to feed or cross bodies of water when they are traveling, but they also do it for fun, much like the bears at the safari park. Animalia shared some other facts about black bears, and some of them were very interesting.
Black bears eat berries and fruit from trees, and grasses, bulbs, and roots from the ground. They occasionally eat small rodents and insects, and fish from rivers when they can find them. In short, they'll eat anything they can find. They climb trees to feed, get away from enemies, and to hibernate. While you will find bears being active at any time of the day or night, they mostly forage for food during the night.
These bears communicate in a variety of different ways through both vocal and non-vocal sounds. If you've ever seen these bears in person, you may have heard them make grunting. loud humming, or tongue-clicking sounds. The bears make these sounds when they are calm and comfortable. When they are nervous or fearful, the bears make warning sounds by blowing air loudly, huffing, and moaning. That's when you know to back off! Cubs also make a variety of sounds just like babies do and you may hear them cry, squeal, or even scream. They make an adorable motor-like humming sound when they feel comfortable in their surroundings or during nursing.
I was also surprised to learn that bears have a sense of smell even stronger than a dog's sense of smell - about seven times more sensitive. They can detect food or other scents up to two miles away. That's a very powerful sniffer!
Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
